Monday, March 24, 2014

Almost Missed It

For some reason, I had forgotten that about the date of this show, thinking it was in May. I was about 5 minutes away from heading out the door for a meetup at Capital Factory, when my friends called and reminded me.

There were several reasons I wanted to go to this show. One, it was Tool. Two, it would be the first concert I had attended at the Cedar Park Center.

Getting there seemed easy enough, although it is somewhat challenging to stay off of the Tolls Roads. The parking situation at the Center leaves a lot to be desired.

Failure

The opening band was Failure. I can't speak for my friends, but I found this band to be boring. They were tolerable, but I can't say I would feel compelled to listen to any more of their music.

The lineup

As you probably know, Tool has had the same lineup for over 20 years.

Danny Carey – drums, percussion

Adam Jones – guitar

Maynard James Keenan – lead vocals

Justin Chancellor – bass

The setlist was posted immediately after the show. Since they have not released a new album in 8 years (10,000 Days), the show contained no new material. The show was broken into 2 sets, with an intermission between them. Like Porcupine Tree, they displayed a clock on the screen behind the stage at Intermission, and had it count down the 12 minutes.

I really enjoyed the show, but the sound left a little to be desired. In particular, there was an annoying amount of rumble and distortion in the bass register throughout the set.

The multi-media display and the lighting however for this show were up to the typical excellent standards for a Tool show. Tool is unsurpassed in this area, and on the same footing as Pink Floyd/Roger Waters, and Steven Wilson/Porcupine Tree.

All in all, it was a good night of music, and it helped take my mind off of other things.